Joseph Eden
Joseph Eden is the founder and Lord Protector of the Orion Commonwealth. Eden was born to a well off family tracing its heritage all the way back to English Old Earth aristocracy and was highly educated in his youth. He took a particular interest in stories of the great admirals of 19th and 20th centuries, an interest which led to him enlisting in the Imperial Naval Academy. Eden excelled in both theoretical coursework and hands on systems training which resulted in him being fast-tracked into service. Before his training had even finished, Eden was sent into combat as part of emergency measures during the “Alien War” where he took command of the corvette Antioch at just 21 years old after most of the bridge crew was killed in action and he himself was permanently deafened in one ear. He saved the corvette from destruction, commanding it both through the next few hours of intense combat as well as several days afterwards until replacement officers were brought onboard. This resulted in numerous commendations and saw him promoted immediately to command of his own corvette. In the ensuing years of combat he continued to perform admirably and built up a reputation as an incredibly capable commander, ending the war in command of a frigate at merely 25 years old, one of the youngest such commanders in Imperial history. In the intervening time of relative peace, he slowly climbed the ranks until he attained command of a dreadnaught on the eve of the “Cygnus Rebellion.” Eden’s ship was caught behind rebel lines, but instead of retreating he successfully rallied loyal Imperial forces into an ad hoc battlegroup which caught the rebels by surprise, allowing the main Imperial fleet to punch through enemy lines and take the capital. Under the Emperor's orders, the capital of tens of millions was completely devastated. Eden was disgusted and considered resigning from the navy, but the elderly Emperor died before this could happen, being replaced by Putin who many saw as being a much more reasonable and measured man. Eden joined the Central Naval Staff as a rear-admiral not long after and became highly influential in crafting navy policy. He served there for over a decade, crafting a close relationship with those under his command thanks to his “humanist” reputation, care for his subordinates, and war hero reputation. He was increasingly frustrated by the political bickerings and vanity of both his colleagues and superiors and came to regard the values of old Earth, especially in what he called the “Golden Age” of the 18th and 19th centuries, to be superior to current morals. As Putin’s health worsened, privately many began to wonder who would succeed him. With no children and a woefully incompetent brother his only close family, the powerful men of the Empire began to plan their own power grabs. Eden quietly communicated to both political and military leaders in hopes of forming a stable provisional government to succeed Putin, but almost no one wished to cooperate. Upon the emperor’s eventual death, the government quickly fell apart. Eden still desperately hoped to form a compromise to keep peace and order, but it became apparent this would not happen. As political disagreement turned to open violence and chaos, many in the navy looked to him for guidance. He gathered the support of a large part of the enlisted men, officers, and fleet commanders and prepared to head for the heavily navalized Hyperion system, home to the main naval shipyards and garrisons. Just before this, the most powerful general on Earth, controlling most of the capital, ordered Eden’s fleet to fire on Titus Marius and his fleeing men. Eden requested the orders to be repeated on his personal communicator and, holding it to his deaf ear, claimed he could not hear the request and left along with his fleet. He brushed aside what scattered resistance was offered on the way to Hyperion, most naval forces simply let him pass or joined him, and quickly took control of the situation. Eden declared the system a “Safe Zone” saying anyone who wished to live in safety could join his forces there. In the confused first months of the Fragmentation Wars, martial law reigned as Eden tried simply to secure the system and its industrial might against many enemies, human and alien. Several other sectors dominated by the navy declared their loyalty to Eden and added to the growing strength of what the Admiral called the “Orion Commonwealth.” Eventually, as security was found and peace forged, the military government transitioned to a civilian one as Eden presided over the writing of a constitution based heavily off the laws of the old United Kingdom. The former admiral ended his tenure as the virtually dictatorial "Emergency Governor" and became "Lord Protector of the Commonwealth" a position which had some constitutional restraints. Eden’s sense of morality and values informed that of the country, particularly due to fact that many former naval officers now serving as government leaders were heavily influenced by him during his time on the naval staff. In the wake of the years long war which had been devastating and financially draining, Eden emphasized hard work, self-sufficiency, personal improvement, and a strict moral code. He also claimed humans were a “dominant species” who were predestined to greatness, something which appealed to the confused and frightened populace living after the collapse of the empire. Eden has ceded considerable power to the elected prime minister and parliament, but still commands near unwavering loyalty among the military and substantially influences public opinion. He himself has expressed his wish to be the last Lord Protector and see a transition to full democratic rule after his death.